Rockland resident stares down coyote to save fawn

When Doug DelPrete first saw the baby deer, its head was in the mouth of a coyote. “I just kind of looked at him,” DelPrete said. “I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen.”

Allison Manning

When Doug DelPrete first saw the baby deer, its head was in the mouth of a coyote. The Rockland resident yelled at the coyote, which dropped the male fawn and stared at DelPrete before stalking off into the woods.

“I just kind of looked at him,” DelPrete said. “I wasn’t quite sure what was going to happen.”

He had heard crying around 9 a.m. Wednesday, and found the fawn about 200 yards into the woods behind his Summer Street home.

“It almost sounded like a baby cow,” he said.

DelPrete picked up the trembling deer, which had wounds on his head from the coyote’s teeth.

By the end of the day, the fawn was walking, following DelPrete’s mother, Dottie, who fed him goat and lamb milk formula.

After seeking medical aid for the deer, which needed a few stitches, DelPrete found that most veterinarians won’t treat wild deer.

For now, the fawn will stay at DelPrete’s home, wrapped up in an old quilt. In a few days, DelPrete will move the deer to his grandparents’ cattle farm across the street from his home.

“Hopefully he’ll make some crying sounds and the mother will come back,” DelPrete said.

Never miss a story

Choose the plan that's right for you.
Digital access or digital and print delivery.